Dairy Free Pesto 3 Ways (DF, GF, V, RSF)

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September 23, 2020

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There's nothing like the freshness of homemade pesto to add a bit of summer flavour to any dish. So versatile, pesto can be used as a pasta sauce, a sauce with fish or chicken, on pizzas or as a dip on its own.

It's best to check the ingredients of store-bought pesto as they are often made with canola oil instead of olive oil. But the good news is that it's so super easy to make and tastes 100x better when made fresh.

The combination of good quality olive oil, nuts, herbs, lemon and garlic make it a powerhouse of nutrition. Add spinach, kale and rocket and mix up the herbs a little (we love to add a big handful of coriander) to boost the nutritional value even more! You could even use half olive oil and half avocado oil to increase the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant healthy fat content.

The Tauranga Farmer's Markets has an abundance of beautiful fresh herbs and greens at this time of year, so it's a great Saturday morning stop if you don't grow your own.

Classic Dairy Free Pesto:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil

1/2 cup pine nuts

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 clove garlic / 2T garlic infused oil

1/4 to 1/3 cup Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Zesty Parsley & Capers Pesto:

1 cup Italian parsley

1/4 cup capers

Zest & juice of one lemon

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1 clove garlic / 2T garlic infused olive oil

1/4 to 1/3 cup Olive oil

Salt and pepper

(This one's delicious on baked fish or chicken)

Loaded with Greens Nut Free Pesto:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil

1/2 baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup baby rocket leaves

1/2 cup coriander

Zest and juice of one lemon

1 clove garlic

1/4 to 1/3 cup Olive oil (or more if too dry)

Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in food processor except salt, pepper and olive oil. Blend and taste. Add olive oil until its a nice viscous paste, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more garlic /garlic oil if you like a stronger flavour.

Making beautiful, gut-nourishing, soul-filling, nutrient-dense food from scratch doesn't need to be complicated, expensive or time-consuming. Be sure to check out our other delicious whole food recipes on our blog :)